Sox outslug Twins, 12-7

It was supposed to be a pitching duel of young studs, but Clay Buchholz and Francisco Liriano both got touched up in this shootout. Liriano leaked one run per frame due to spotty control, lasting just 2+ innings, while Buchholz went three scoreless before allowing two runners to score in the fourth. Buchholz showed improved control in this outing, and struck out three Twins; but with an ERA above 9.00 for the Spring, it does look like starting in Triple-A might not be the worst thing in the world for him.

The win gave the Sox a 3-2 edge in Ft. Myers games against the Twins, and they won the “Mayor’s Cup” as a prize. Okay, sure, fun stuff.

It was nice to see the offense get going for once. The Red Sox got home runs out of Jason Varitek, Kevin Cash and Jonathan Van Every plus doubles out of Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Chris Carter. Carter has been making the most of his playing time, and now boasts a .357 Spring average with several extra base hits. Van Every contributed a walk and a homer, and has also impressed overall with his effort. Jed Lowrie went 0-4, continuing his Spring woes. He’s now hitting .086.

The bullpen struggled in this one, with basically everyone giving up a run or two. David Aardsma had kind of a wild outing, striking out four in just 1 2/3 innings, but also allowing two hits, a walk and two runs.

Bartolo Colon is scheduled to get two innings to start tomorrow’s game against the Rays in his first Spring action.